Double Talk
| season = | number = 6 | image = File:Double Talk.jpg | imagewidth = 250 | airdate = November 22, 1997 | director = Curt Geda | writer = Robert Goodman | story = | teleplay = | music = Shirley Walker | previous1 = You Scratch My Back | next1 = Joker's Millions | previous2 = Cold Comfort | next2 = You Scratch My Back }} :"Better look sharp, youse mugs! Scarface is back!" :: - Scarface Double Talk is an episode of The New Batman Adventures. It is notable for introducing the characters of The Ventriloquist and Scarface to the new series, although it provides as a definitive end for the criminal mastermind and therefore, he doesn't make another official appearance in the series. "Double Talk" is the sixth episode aired and the fourth episode produced of "TNBA". Plot Arnold Wesker has a nightmare, in which he is chased around his ventriloquist dummy Scarface. Although Wesker runs desperately, Scarface gets him and attacks him. Wesker wakes from the dream, emotionally distressed and he takes a glance to the nightstand next to him, to his certificate of sanity, which is probably causing his anxiety and bad dreams. The next day, Dr. Joan Leland approves Wesker's release from Arkham Asylum after 6 months of showing no signs of his alternate personality. Wesker is fortunate enough to find a new place to live at the Wayne Gardens Halfway House and a new job at Wayne Enterprises. He feels grateful for the second chance he has been given and believes there is a guardian angel watching over him. True enough, Batman is outside of Wesker's new apartment, making sure the arrangements to help Wesker are in place. The next day, Wesker goes to Wayne Enterprises, to start his new job as a mail clerk. There, he meets Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox, as the two of them are placing two million in bail bonds inside the company's safe vault, opened only by Fox's voice. Wesker's first day at his job is normal, but on his way back home, Rhino and Mugsy find Wesker and demand to know when is Scarface going to return to the gang. Wesker is intimidated by the thugs and Batman drops to confront them, giving Wesker time to run to his apartment. Batman defeats the thugs and warns them to stay away from Wesker. However, back in his apartment, Wesker starts hearing the voice of the old criminal mastermind in his head, much to his horror. Still distressed by the events of the previous evening, Wesker goes to Wayne Enterprises, but his performance is less than average. Bruce notices this and keeps a close eye on Wesker. As he is delivering mail to the employees, Wesker finds a letter addressed to "DUMMY". He knows it is for him and also who sent it. After opening it, he reads instructions to pick up his phone at 8pm in his apartment. When Bruce approaches Wesker, the man is startled and runs away in fear, leaving only the envelope of the letter behind. That night, Wesker waits in the dark of his living room next to the phone and at 8pm, the phone starts ringing. Afraid of picking it up, Wesker allows the answering machine to get the call. Much to his dismay, Scarface is talking and he demands Wesker to pick up the phone. Wesker obeys and Scarface tells him to get ready for his comeback. As this happens, Batman listens to the conversation from outside thanks to a bug in Wesker's phone. When Wesker tells Scarface he is not real, Scarface tells him to look to the phone booth in front of his house and much to his surprise, Scarface is sitting on the booth, talking to him. Batman also spots this and goes towards the booth, but upon arriving, Scarface is gone. Batman spots Scarface running away and he follows the dummy, who was somehow come to live and goes into a statue gallery, where he manages to delay Batman long enough for him to escape. Back at the Batcave, Batgirl analyzes the voice recorded from the phone conversation and realizes it is not Wesker's own voice talking as Scarface. Batman deduces that someone is trying to drive Wesker insane and he has an idea of who might be responsible. The next day, Wesker tries to continue his normal life, but he is constantly finding visions of Scarface and is forced to return home, where he locks the door and windows and turns off the lights. Unfortunately, the Scarface dummy is sitting on his couch and the sight of the doll causes Wesker to have a relapse and resumes his identity as The Ventriloquist, going straight to his old gang's hideout and making arrangements for their next hit. Meanwhile, Batman interrogates Hip McManus, the little man who dressed up as Scarface the previous night and attacked Batman. The man reveals that he was hired by Rhino and Mugsy to impersonate Scarface and persuade Wesker to resume his criminal activities. In his confession, McManus also reveals the next crime by Scarface's gang at Wayne Enterprises. The Ventriloquist has kidnapped Lucius Fox and forces him to open Wayne Enterprises' safe, before knocking him unconscious. Rhino and Mugsy then steal the two million in bail bonds, but Batman and Batgirl arrive in time to stop them. Scarface threatens to kill Fox if Batman keeps fighting and the heroes are forced to remain quiet while Mugsy and Rhino take the money. After the deed is done, the heroes are locked inside the safe, with a bomb thrown by Scarface. Without a way out of the safe, Batman tosses the bomb through a ventilation shaft, saving himself and Barbara before they figure a way out of the safe. Meanwhile, Scarface leads his henchmen to the rooftop of the building, where he double-crosses them and reveals that he knows about their plan to bring him back. They try to apologize by claiming that they needed him, but Scarface wouldn't listen and he blows the bridge they are standing on, leaving them hanging at a dangerous height. Batman and Batgirl show up in time and while Batgirl saves the two henchmen, Batman disarms Scarface, throwing away the dummy from Wesker. Batman tries to reason with Wesker, but the man has grabbed the machine gun and is ready to attack Batman, commanded by Scarface. After minutes of internal struggle, Wesker heeds Batman's advice and realizes that Scarface is the puppet and that he should not allow a doll to control his actions. Wesker turns to the dummy and shoots at it, riddling the puppet with bullets and causing it to fall down to a giant fan, where it is destroyed to ashes. Scarface's reign of crime is over, his henchmen have been arrested and Wesker moves on with his normal life and has high hopes of leading a regular life going forward. Cast Notes & Trivia * When Scarface blows up the bridge, the resulting explosion is reused footage from the scene of the "Superman: The Animated Series" episode "World's Finest, Part III" in which two Wayne/Lex T-7 droids blow up after Batman electrocutes them. * The short scene of the docks before Scarface reveals himself to his goons is reused from the episode "Sins of the Father". Two-Face can even be seen, albeit from a distance. * During Wesker's walk through the park, Lois Lane and Clark Kent from "Superman: The Animated Series" can be seen sitting in the background. * In this episode, Mel Winkler replaces Brock Peters as the voice of Lucius Fox. * This is one of the few episodes of TNBA that was not included as any cutscene in the videogame Batman: Gotham City Racer. * The episode has been released as part of the following Home video sets: :* Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Four :* Batman: The Complete Animated Series Gallery DT 01 - Wesker.jpg DT 02 - Bat.jpg DT 03 - Scarface.jpg DT 04 - Wesker.jpg DT 05 - Wayne Ent.jpg DT 06 - Thugs.jpg DT 07 - Gang.jpg DT 08 - Batman.jpg DT 09 - Batman.jpg DT 10 - Batman.jpg DT 11 - Batman.jpg DT 12 - Dummy.jpg DT 13 - Wesker.jpg DT 14 - Wesker.jpg DT 15 - Wesker.jpg DT 16 - Booth.jpg DT 17 - Statues.jpg DT 18 - Dummy.jpg DT 19 - Scarface.jpg DT 20 - Ventriloquist and Scarface.jpg DT 21 - Batman.jpg DT 22 - Fox.jpg DT 23 - Heroes.jpg DT 24 - Under the Cape.jpg Double Talk 24.jpg DT 25 - Double Cross.jpg DT 26 - Scarface.jpg DT 27 - Climax.jpg DT 28 - Batgirl.jpg DT 29 - Scarface.jpg DT 30 - Wesker.jpg DT 31 - Bulletface.jpg DT 32 - Arnold.jpg DT 33 - Scarface.jpg DT 34 - Captured.jpg DT 35 - Arnold Wesker.jpg Category:Episodes Category:Soundtrack by Shirley Walker Category:Ventriloquist & Scarface Episodes